Sustainability is a six-syllable word with a dozen definitions. All organizations, however they define sustainability, need to incorporate it into their practices—but there are several challenges. One is thinking and acting across multiple disciplines and sectors to come up with community systems that promote balance.

SFU’s Certificate in Sustainable Community Development will help you become an effective champion of sustainability by teaching you how to address the different dimensions of community as well as the land and environment on which they depend. By applying ideas to real-world situations, we teach solutions and strategies that advance all six areas of community capital—physical, ecological, social, human, cultural, and economic.

Apply sustainability principles even in tough economic times

Another sustainability challenge is today’s economic climate. As decision-makers think about cost savings and the bottom line, funding for sustainability planning and programming may disappear—but sustainability doesn’t need to. It just needs to look different. It might not even be called sustainability.

In our certificate program, through case studies, lectures, small-group discussion, field trips, and assignments, you’ll learn to translate sustainability principles into action while focusing on tactful, strategic approaches to making sure sustainability stays relevant in the eyes of community leaders and members.

Study with sustainability and community development professionals from across Canada

Our instructors, who work in business, education, and government across the country, are among the most experienced, cutting-edge sustainability leaders, policy-makers, planners, and decision-makers available.

In addition to established sustainability practices, they’ll share tactics and strategies that make sustainability feasible in today’s economic climate—including focusing on financial and social savings as motivators, reframing sustainability to support new priorities, using the economy to lead, creating new alliances, and more.

Is SFU’s Certificate in Sustainable Community Development for you?

Our program, which is part-time, is ideal for professionals throughout Canada who want to implement sustainable development practices in their communities. Our students come from many backgrounds and professions, but they’re all current and future leaders who are committed to creating positive change. Most courses take place at SFU’s Vancouver campus.